SSDI for Amputations

August 06, 2015
By
The Zendeh Del Law Firm

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An “amputation” refers to the removal of an injured or diseased
body part, however, it can also be related to an accident and result from
a traumatic injury; for example, a body part can be severed due to a machine
accident, an auto accident, or injuries sustained during military combat.

Other causes of amputation, include:

Diabetes (can lead to nerve damage)

Gangrene (loss of blood supply causes tissue death)

Diseased limb (such as cancer)

Crush or blast wound

Deformity of the limb causes persistent pain and limits function

Some traumatically amputated fingers can be reattached, but in many cases
reattachment of an amputated finger is either not advisable or it’s
surgically impossible.

There are different types of amputation, depending on the limb involved
and how much of the limb can be salvaged. A lower limb amputation involves
removing part of the leg, foot or toe, particularly in older individuals
with diabetes.

Upper limb amputations involving the removal of the arm, hand, or finger
are less common and are typically carried out in younger patients who
suffered a serious injury.

Use of Prosthetics

After an amputation, sometimes it’s possible to fit a prosthetic
limb on the remaining stump, but not always. Today’s sophisticated
prosthetic limbs can reproduce many of the functions of hands, arms, and
legs and are allowing many individuals to return to work, where in the
past it would have been next to impossible.

SSDI & Musculoskeletal Disorders

If one of your body parts have been amputated due to a traumatic injury
or disease, it is possible that you may qualify for
Social Security Disability benefits.

Amputations are covered under the Listing of Impairments, the section addressing
musculoskeletal disorders (amputation due to any cause).

In order to qualify under 1.05 Amputation, an individual must have lost:

Both hands, or

One or both lower limbs at or above the tarsal region, with stump complications
that make it so they cannot use a prosthetic device to ambulate (move
around), or

One hand and one lower limb, at or above the tarsal region, with the inability
to move around effectively, or

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Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
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